Cumberland Farms Rocks Roxbury

BOSTON -- Cumberland Farms this week held the grand opening for a previously announced new convenience store in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, marking the brand's first urban location to open in there since 1981.

Featuring a modernized design and architectural features, the Roxbury store offers a range of new hot food items from pizza slices to grilled hot dogs to fried favorites. In addition, Roxbury features touchscreen ordering kiosks at which customers can customize their meals.

The grand-opening event on Nov. 19 kicked off the store's month-long fundraiser for Boston Medical Center. During the fundraiser, the retailer will donate 10 cents from every purchase of Cumberland Farms' iced or hot coffee, brewed teas, fountain sodas and Chill Zone drinks to the neighboring hospital. Representatives from Boston Medical Center were on hand for the ceremony as the retailer launched the four-week fundraising initiative.

A number of Boston personalities were there for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Wally the Green Monster and the Amp 103.3 Street Team.

The store personnel offered attendees complimentary food from Cumberland Farms' new menu including pizza, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks and more, including beverages such as Farmhouse Blend Coffee and Chill Zone.

In other company news, John McMahon, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at The Cumberland Gulf Group, has been named a 2013 Top 10 Breakaway Leader by the Global HR Leadership Summit in recognition of his ability as a leader to elevate and motivate his peers, partners, and organization.

"The Top 10 Breakaway Leader Award is a unique recognition of remarkable leadership and individual innovation, an acknowledgment that Mr. McMahon well deserves," said Bob Dethlefs, CEO of Evanta, the organizer of the Global HR Leadership Summit. "Our award program utilizes peer nominations, a distinguished panel of judges and the HR Leadership Summit community to select breakaway leaders that are changing the face of human resources, and this year we are honored to be presenting the award to Mr. McMahon for his outstanding work with The Cumberland Gulf Group."

McMahon is responsible for development and implementation of the HR strategy for the retail company. As a member of the Executive Committee, he ensures that this strategy is fully aligned with the goals of the organization, which provides support for 7,000 employees, 600 stores and 3,500 branded and private-label outlets.

"John McMahon has greatly elevated our HR capabilities," said Ari Haseotes, president and group COO of Cumberland Gulf. "John's focus and passion for developing the talents of our people has been an asset to our company. His leadership, energy, and vision makes him a valuable part of our executive team, especially when it comes to cultivating our most prized asset--our people."

"I am honored to accept this award on behalf of The Cumberland Gulf Group, and share this recognition with all of my colleagues across the Human Resources and Executive Management teams," said McMahon. This award would not be possible without the work and dedication of the outstanding HR team and the company's leadership at Cumberland Farms and Gulf Oil."

Earlier this year, McMahon was also named by ExecRank, the nation's definitive ranking service of executives, as a "Top Private Company HR Executive."

The Cumberland Gulf Group, Framingham, Mass., is a strategic amalgamation of Cumberland Farms Inc. and Gulf Oil LP. Cumberland Farms is a leading independent convenience store operator with a market leading position throughout the Northeast as well as a significant presence in the Mid-Atlantic region and Florida. Gulf is one of the largest wholesalers of refined petroleum products in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. In 2011, the Cumberland Group generated roughly $13 billion of sales through a footprint of 589 convenience store locations operated under the well-known Cumberland Farms banner and through the operations of its subsidiary Gulf Oil. The Cumberland Group is a privately held, family-owned and managed company that includes real estate and midstream gasoline operations.

Plunge in oil prices sets the stage for record margins and boost in in-store sales. Also In This Issue: Profitability skyrockets for top performers! Other channels seek to redefine convenience! The economy enters a new stage. The growing health-and-wellness trend. Fuel demand; oil's slide; multicultural momentum; and data, data, data!

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